Published 4:00 am, Friday, January 14, 2000

2000-01-14 04:00:00 PDT OAKLAND -- The Bonsai and Suiseki Display Garden in Oakland's Lakeside Park has no guards or cords to keep people away from displays of nature's artistry. But the garden's organizers, members of the Golden State Bonsai Federation, regard their collection of potted trees with the reverence of gallery owners or museum curators. The trees are nurtured as living works of art, miniature replicas of redwoods, maples and pines that convey a sense of harmony and awe.

Sounds heady for a group of little trees. But the more you look at them, the more you understand how they inspire such emotion.

A Japanese maple covered with tiny star-shaped leaves is a living sculpture. A miniature redwood is as graceful and majestic as the giant trees in Muir Woods. A grove of pines presents a picture of serenity.

The Japanese word bonsai refers to a tree in a tray or pot. Bonsai growers spend years shaping their trees by trimming, grafting, wiring and sculpting. The goal is to create a miniature that has the characteristics, lines and spirit of a large tree.

The one-third acre garden opened last November, the product of some 5,000 hours of volunteer labor and $200,000 in donations. It was created to house the Northern California collection of the Golden State Bonsai Federation -- a group of 70 bonsai clubs in California. It is the only bonsai garden of its kind in California and one of only a few in the world, said Seiji Shiba of Monte Sereno, chairman of the garden's board of directors.

"Because we value our trees -- they are works of art -- this is a museum setting," Shiba said. "Many of these bonsai have been in families for 20, 30, 40 years."

Most bonsai exhibits in the United States and Japan place the trees against white stucco walls that show off their shapes, Shiba said. In Oakland, the trees fit in naturally with the landscaping of a traditional Japanese garden in the Lakeside Garden Center. Visitors enter through a hand-carved wooden gate. A dry "river" of white stones runs over a cascade of boulders, around a small island and under bridges. A path winds through the garden, passing wooden benches and pedestals that hold the bonsai. Between the trees, gardeners have placed suiseki, naturally sculpted stones that represent miniature mountain scenes.

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Some of the 50 trees on display have historic significance. A 400- year-old Japanese black pine was part of an exhibit at the 1915 Pan Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. A daimyo oak originally belonged to Abraham Lincoln's ambassador to China, who received it as a gift in 1863. Shiba believes it may be the first bonsai brought into the United States.

Other trees, such as a wind-swept California juniper styled by John Naka, represent the work of modern bonsai artists. The juniper is a native of the Mojave Desert. Naka, who learned how to shape bonsai from his Japanese grandfather, started the tree from a rooted limb. The weathered limb could have come from a tree as much as 500 years old, Shiba said, though it was created as a bonsai about 11 years ago.

Bonsai artists seek balance and harmony, Shiba said. How they obtain those qualities depends on each tree. Some trees have beautiful trunks while others have flowing cascades of leaves and branches. As the collection grows, Shiba said, trees will be rotated seasonally to show off flowering blossoms or brilliant foliage. Bonsai clubs will offer workshops and demonstrate how to grow and care for bonsai. The garden will continue to accept new donations.

Kathy Shaner, the garden's curator, said she eventually wants to put out bonsai in different stages of development to show people how they become works of art.

For now, the bonsai garden offers a peaceful place to sit and reflect upon the spirit of all trees, big and small.

"Once you're into bonsai," Shaner said, "you see trees in ways that you didn't see them before."

GOLDEN STATE BONSAI GARDEN

DIRECTIONS

Take I-580 east across the San Rafael-Richmond Bridge, or take I-80 west to I-580 to Oakland. Take the Grand Avenue exit and turn right onto Grand, then left onto Bellvue Avenue to Lakeside Park. Go past Children's Fairyland to the Lakeside Garden Center on the left. Park near the Garden Center.

ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS

The small trees will fascinate many children, and the outdoor garden is a good place to introduce them to bonsai. But the garden is a place for quiet reflection, not a play area. Children should be supervised.

ACCESSIBILITY

Paths are smooth enough for most wheelchairs. There are no public rest rooms in the docent house; accessible restrooms are available in Lakeside Park.